Commission Stories: Championing Damien Geter
Artistic Director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon with composer, vocalist, and co-artistic advisor Damien Geter
COMMISSION STORIES | ABOUT
Read, listen, and experience stories from our commissioned artists—the voices of today
Our end of year theme is Championing the Music of Tomorrow by Supporting the Voices of Today. This month we unveiled “Commission Stories,” a vital archive of our unwavering commitment to mission-based art and the exceptional composers who have contributed to its legacy.
Each work that Resonance commissions is more than just a new piece. It’s a relationship with an artist. It’s a journey for our ensemble. It’s a deep and lasting impact on our community. Every commission has a history all its own, and we invite you to explore them in our new gallery—15 years in the making.
COMMISSION STORY HIGHLIGHT | DAMIEN GETER
This week, we highlight beloved composer Damien Geter. Resonance has premiered over half a dozen works from Geter, some of which eventually became part of our most ambitious commission to date, An African American Requiem. Resonance worked with Geter long before this national success story, however, and today we highlight a particularly poignant work he wrote for our Intensive Care program in 2019: The Talk: Instructions for Black Children When They Interact with the Police.
Discussing the inspiration behind this significant composition, Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon remarked, “When Resonance was planning the repertoire for our Intensive Care concert, we were struck by the absence of the perspectives of parents of color, especially Black parents, in the choral repertoire. The enduring tradition of Black parents imparting crucial survival advice to their children during encounters with the police, often referred to as ‘The Talk,’ stood out as a poignant yet overlooked narrative. Artistic Advisor Damien Geter and I dug deeply into repertoire by many composers we admire, and we kept wishing we could find a piece of music that encapsulated that crucial conversation, but we couldn’t find anything. Damien finally said, ‘You know what? I'm going to write that piece. We need it.’ The piece Resonance premiered at that concert became a standout moment I will never forget.”
Witness the powerful premiere of this moving work in the video below offering a glimpse into why Damien Geter stands as one of the foremost composers of our era.
Click here to read the full story and find more Commission Stories.
SUPPORT MORE STORIES TODAY!
Head to our Commission Stories gallery to read more about this and other works. These stories are made possible thanks to your generous contributions. Resonance Ensemble is working to raise $15,000 for the Dinah Dodds Fund for the Creation of New Art to support the commission and recording of new works! Read more to learn about the campaign, and how you can help champion the music of tomorrow by supporting the voices of today.
Commission Stories: Championing Cecille Elliott
Composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Cecille Elliott at our Fall 2023 show We Dissent (picture by Rachel Hadiashar)
COMMISSION STORIES | ABOUT
Read, listen, and experience stories from our commissioned artists—the voices of today
Our end of year theme is Championing the Music of Tomorrow by Supporting the Voices of Today. This month we unveiled “Commission Stories,” a vital archive of our unwavering commitment to mission-based art and the exceptional composers who have contributed to its legacy.
Each work that Resonance commissions is more than just a new piece. It’s a relationship with an artist. It’s a journey for our ensemble. It’s a deep and lasting impact on our community. Every commission has a history all its own, and we invite you to explore them in our new gallery—15 years in the making.
COMMISSION STORY HIGHLIGHT | CECILLE ELLIOTT
This week, we highlight the incredible composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Cecille Elliott, whose work We Are Murmurs was commissioned this past spring for Volume 3 of our Dirty, Stupid Music series—and will be reprised in 2024 at both our Sweet Honey in the Rock and MISSION 15 shows!
Watch this video to hear We are Murmurs and learn more about how this commission came to be.
You can read Cecille Elliott’s full story and find more Commission Stories at the link below.
SUPPORT MORE STORIES TODAY!
Head to our Commission Stories gallery to read more about this and other works. These stories are made possible thanks to your generous contributions. Resonance Ensemble is working to raise $15,000 for the Dinah Dodds Fund for the Creation of New Art to support the commission and recording of new works! Read more to learn about the campaign, and how you can help champion the music of tomorrow by supporting the voices of today.
Commission Stories: Championing Melissa Dunphy
Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon and Composer Melissa Dunphy
Announcing Commission Stories!
Read, listen, and experience stories from our commissioned artists—the voices of today
Our end of year theme is Championing the Music of Tomorrow by Supporting the Voices of Today. This week we unveil “Commission Stories,” a vital archive of our unwavering commitment to mission-based art and the exceptional composers who have contributed to its legacy.
Each work that Resonance commissions is more than just a new piece. It’s a relationship with an artist. It’s a journey for our ensemble. It’s a deep and lasting impact on our community. Every commission has a history all its own, and we invite you to explore them in our new gallery—15 years in the making.
We start this journey with one of our most performed commissions and title of our debut album, LISTEN.
Watch this video of the premiere performance, complete with opening complete with comments from composer Melissa Dunphy about why she was so excited to be invited to write for Resonance treble singers with this important work.
Head to our Commission Stories gallery to read more about this and other works. These stories are made possible thanks to your generous contributions. Resonance Ensemble is working to raise $15,000 for the Dinah Dodds Fund for the Creation of New Art to support the commission and recording of new works! Read more to learn about the campaign, and how you can help champion the music of tomorrow by supporting the voices of today.
Shape the Music of Tomorrow, Support the Voices of Today
Thank You for Fifteen Amazing Years!
It is hard to capture what the last 15 years have meant to us at Resonance Ensemble. From our first concerts, to our debut at the Kennedy Center, Resonance—and the world around us—has changed. In 2016 when we shifted our focus, we found our voice in the larger choral community as a leader in promoting meaningful social change through excellent performances of captivating programming. As we continue embarking on this transformative journey to shape the music of tomorrow, we invite you to join us in supporting the voices of today.
Your donation will not only fund the creation of new music; it will be an investment in stories that deserve to be heard, in voices that need to be amplified. Just this past year Resonance Ensemble was able to commission eight artists, including composers Darrell Grant, Kenji Bunch, Cecille Elliott, Kimberly R. Osberg, and Judy A. Rose, and poets A. Mimi Sei, S. Renee Mitchell, and Vin Shambry. We were able to release our debut album LISTEN, and we look forward to the recording of our next album—which will solely feature works commissioned by Resonance Ensemble. All of this is possible because of your steadfast generosity.
Today, as we embark on our year-end campaign of our 15th Season, our goal is to raise $15,000 to help shape the music of tomorrow. No matter the size of your gift ($15, $115, $15,000), your contribution will directly support our efforts to commission world-class composers, continue our tradition of high-level artistry, and ensure that the voices of underrepresented composers are heard and celebrated. Your generosity is the key to unlocking new compositions, new voices, and new possibilities.
We invite you to visit our website to learn more about these efforts and how your contribution can help shape the music of tomorrow. To donate today, please mail your check or credit card info to us at 3121 South Moody Avenue #130, click here, or call us at 503-427-8701.
Let’s celebrate 15 years of Resonance Ensemble by ensuring the next 15 are even more extraordinary. Your support is not just a donation; it is a commitment to making a difference. Along with our artists, staff, and Board of Directors, I thank you for supporting Resonance Ensemble.
Sincerely,
Katherine FitzGibbon
President and Artistic Director, Resonance Ensemble
Better Together: Highlighting PDX Arts Allies
Radical collaboration is core to who we are at Resonance Ensemble. This year marks 15 seasons, made possible in part by the deep partnerships we’ve cultivated across the years with organizations, educators, artists, and community leaders both in Portland and beyond. As part of our special anniversary season, we are highlighting collaborations with 15 of the amazing Portland-based organizations we are proud to call our arts allies. We encourage you to take the time to learn more about each of our partner organizations. As a community, we are better together.
Part Five - Allies for a Stronger Portland Arts Community
Here at Resonance Ensemble, we believe that a vibrant arts community like Portland's can only thrive when arts organizations support and uplift each other's work. One way we continually strive to foster this collaborative spirit in our community is through our season partnership program—providing mutual support and resources to fellow arts organizations who share our values. Today we highlight four of these amazing partners who share this collaborative vision for a better arts ecosystem in our community.
Missed earlier segments from Better Together? Click below to read more:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Fear no music
Fear No Music musicians—including past Resonance collaborators Kenji Bunch (composer), Nancy Ives (composer, RE board member), and James Shields (clarinet).
Fear No Music promotes music education for audiences of all ages and experience levels. Their visionary youth mentorship program piloted by composer and Artistic Director Kenji Bunch, their Locally-Sourced Sounds series that highlights composers from our region, and the recent launch of their De-Mystifying New Music series all speak to their dedication to making new music more accessible than ever. Both Resonance Ensemble and Fear No Music believe in providing free access to high-quality programming—Fear No Music through their live concert programming, and Resonance with our Resonance Ensemble Access Project initiative (REAP), which provides free digital access to all of our programming.
Fear No Music musicians at the performance of Mass for the Endangered this past June (2023)
With a shared commitment to connect audiences with composers of today, Resonance Ensemble and Fear No Music have collaborated on a number of programs—including the recent Oregon premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered at Lewis and Clark College this past June, which featured Resonance Ensemble alongside 13 of Fear No Music’s masterful musicians under the baton of our own Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon.
Fear No Music’s Kenji Bunch embraces poet A. Mimi Sei following the premiere of his work Shout Out! at Portland Protests (March 2023).
With Resonance actively commissioning new works each season, it has been our honor to collaborate on this vital and sensitive process of bringing new work to life with the musicians of the Fear No Music ensemble. This past spring, Fear No Music performed with Resonance at Portland Protests, which featured three world premieres by pairs of Portland-based artists: Resonance’s A. Mimi Sei and Fear No Music’s Kenji Bunch, composer Kimberly Osberg and Poet-in-Residence, Dr. S. Renee Mitchell, and poet Vin Shambry and composer Judy A. Rose.
Sharing values of accessibility, providing a platform for the voices today, and a “fearless” engagement with challenging music (both technically and emotionally), we are proud to collaborate with a partner that believes in so much of what matters most to us.
See our collaboration in action | Learn more about Fear No Music
Portland opera
From Portland Opera’s recent production of The Marriage of Figaro.
“Our friendship and partnership with Resonance Ensemble has grown over the last two years and we’re honored to collaborate with such a forward-thinking and community focused arts-organization. Liz Bacon Brownson and Kimberly Osberg at Resonance understand the power of uniting Portland’s arts organizations and how together we can grow and uplift instead of compete. Our organizations have much in common including the leadership of Artistic Advisor Damien Geter, celebrating the beauty of the human voice, a dedication to cultural equity, and keeping our organizations financially sustainable. We’re grateful for our partnership and this community for supporting Resonance Ensemble. Cheers to the next 15 years!”
Both Resonance Ensemble and Portland Opera prioritize the highest level of artistry from our musicians—and, with so many of our musicians participating in both Resonance Ensemble and Portland Opera programming, we are proud to mutually support the careers of several dozen Portland-based vocalists in our community each season.
Damien Geter, Artistic Advisor, Resonance Ensemble and Music Director, Portland Opera (Photo by Rachel Hadiashar)
Supporting highly-crafted performances of music by living composers, both Resonance Ensemble and Portland Opera regularly work to showcase the voices of today. Damien Geter, involved with Resonance Ensemble from the beginning (and whose own career has sky-rocketed following the successful premieres of the Resonance Ensemble-commissioned work, An African American Requiem) also serves as interim Music Director for the Portland Opera. “I think Damien is a genius,” says Sue Dixon, General Director of Portland Opera, also citing “the brilliant work Damien is already doing as an artist and leader in our community and field.” You can see Damien at both Resonance Ensemble’s Black Art Song event this February (curated by Geter himself) and conducting Portland Opera’s performance of The Snowy Day by Joel Thompson this March. Thompson’s work will also be featured on Resonance’s program, Amendments: Righting Our Wrongs — and closing the loop, Geter’s work will be featured on MISSION 15!
Portland Opera first joined Resonance Ensemble’s mission to foster a more collaborative arts community this past year, participating in our “Arts Madness” campaign in March. Led by Resonance Ensemble, the campaign was an unprecedented collaborative endeavor to raise awareness of the vibrant arts offerings in Portland—and will continue bigger than ever this coming March.
“Sue Dixon, Jen Wechsler, and their team at Portland Opera share our values around creating a more collaborative arts community,” says Director of Marketing and Operations Liz Bacon Brownson. “We are so grateful for Portland Opera’s continued support, and look forward to continuing this partnership.”
Learn more about Arts Madness | Learn more about Portland Opera
chamber music northwest
Chamber Music Northwest's Soovin Kim and Gloria Chen with East Coast Chamber Orchestra (July 2023)
Nicole Lane, Marketing & Communications Director for Chamber Music Northwest
Speaking of amazing marketing staff, Resonance Ensemble is so grateful for the efforts of Nicole Lane at Chamber Music Northwest, who inspires us with her tireless advocacy for the arts and consistent presence at local arts events. Nicole is someone who shares Resonance Ensemble’s commitment to creating tangible connections, and has been an integral part of our partnership with Chamber Music Northwest.
Members of CMNW’s 2023 Young Artist Institute
Both Resonance Ensemble and Chamber Music Northwest work to highlight music by artists from a wide array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Chamber Music Northwest’s commissions have included composers from both Portland and beyond, including pieces presented as part of their Protégé Project.
“Commissioning new works by underrepresented composers is a shared commitment at the core of both Chamber Music Northwest and Resonance Ensemble," says Artistic Director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon. “It was only natural that we support one another’s work.”
Resonance Ensemble is committed to championing the voices of today. We do that directly through our own robust commissioning supported by the Dinah Dodds Fund for the Creation of New Art—and also through supporting amazing organizations like Chamber Music Northwest that understand, champion, and actively create opportunities for living composers to share their work. We are grateful for their active support and look forward to continuing our partnership in the years to come, fostering more opportunities for the artists of today.
Learn about the Dinah Dodds Fund | Learn more about Chamber Music Northwest
third angle new music
Resonance Ensemble performs at their Intensive Care concert, with special guest performances that included Third Angle’s Sarah Tiedemann on flute. (Photo by Rachel Hadiashar)
With a shared commitment to championing the voices of today, Resonance has been collaborating and pushing boundaries with Third Angle New Music for more than a decade.
Special guest performer Sarah Tiedemann warms up before the Resonance concert. (Photo by Rachel Hadiashar)
Beginning with our sold-out performance of Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel at the Portland Art Museum in 2012, Resonance and Third Angle joined forces for several environmental-themed works by composer John Luther Adams. Notably, Resonance Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon sang with Third Angle and Sō Percussion as a soloist for Steve Reich’s "Drumming." Third Angle’s Artistic Director Sarah Tiedemann in turn joined Resonance as a flutist for our Intensive Care concert. Such cross-collaborations underscored the shared spirit between the two ensembles.
The Black Art Matters Campaign. Damien Geter and Darrell Grant. (Photo by Intisar Abioto)
The partnership reached new “heights” in 2019 when both organizations were awarded Creative Heights Grants from the Oregon Community Foundation. The grants supported ambitious projects—Third Angle’s world premiere of Darrell Grant’s jazz opera Sanctuaries and Resonance's premiere of Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem. Collaborating under the OCF umbrella, the teams worked with a consultant to devise innovative ways to engage the Portland community around these groundbreaking new works, addressing issues that resonated on a deeply communal level.
From Under the Overpass - featuring Resonance’s Damien Geter and Darrell Grant (piano, composer) (courtesy of Oh! Creative)
However, the unforeseen challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the original premiere plans. Undeterred, both Third Angle and Resonance Ensemble adapted swiftly, finding new avenues to share these essential works. Resonance Ensemble launched the Under the Overpass video series, which included an excerpt from Third Angle’s Sanctuaries project. This collaboration not only shared the music but also provided vital context on Portland's history of redlining practices to a global audience.
As the partnership continues to evolve, the spirit of collaboration remains strong. Darrell Grant, the composer of Sanctuaries, is set to premiere a new work with Resonance Ensemble this March as part of the Amendments: Righting Our Wrongs program.
“Third Angle truly shares our vision of fostering the music of tomorrow,” says Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon. “We can’t wait to see where our collaborations with Third Angle take us next.”
See our collaboration in action | Learn more about Third Angle New Music
WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER
This post is the last in our series, BETTER TOGETHER.
A warm thank you to ALL of our artistic partners from the past 15 years, and for our audiences for continuing to make these radical collaborations possible.
UP NEXT…
We’ve been putting something special together to celebrate our 15th Anniversary. More from us soon…
Resonance Ensemble announces New Concert with Sweet Honey In The Rock
“We’re going to bring the fire, and we want the audience to be ready to sing with us and have a good time. We always want people to be open, to bring an open heart, a live spirit, and be ready to just go. The music takes you away. So come on, let’s go.”
Sweet Honey In The Rock® announced as new addition to Resonance Ensemble’s 15th anniversary season.
PORTLAND, OR — Resonance Ensemble, an award-winning vocal group, announces a new concert for their 15th anniversary season: the world-renowned a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock®.
Resonance opens for the multiple GRAMMY-nominated group in two performances: Friday, April 5, 2024 at 7:30PM at The Reser Center for the Performing Arts in Beaverton (co-sponsored by the Reser), and Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 7:30PM at The Armory at Portland Center Stage in downtown Portland.
Audiences who were looking forward to Bobby McFerrin’s recently canceled appearance can still expect to enjoy an evening of music that fuses the elastic possibilities of the human voice. Known as one of the most versatile performing collectives in music today with their deep catalog of socially conscious music rooted in African-American history and culture, Sweet Honey In The Rock® celebrates its 50th anniversary this season – and their legacy aligns perfectly with Resonance Ensemble’s mission of performing music that promotes meaningful social change.
“When we found out Bobby McFerrin was unable to join us due to health reasons, we knew we couldn’t replace that concert with just anyone.” says Katherine FitzGibbon, Artistic Director. “We decided to dream big and reached out to the one group who could possibly match the spirit of Bobby McFerrin. We were delighted when Sweet Honey In The Rock® accepted our invitation.”
ASL provided each concert
American Sign Language Interpretation at Each Performance | Every performance Sweet Honey In The Rock® gives has a core member of the group interweaving dynamic American Sign Language interpretation with the music to create a seamless ballet of movement and voice. These two evening performances will provide an artistic bridge between the Deaf and hearing worlds.
“Sweet Honey speaks of a land that is so rich that when you break the rocks open, honey flows. And we thought it was something like us African-American women... strong like a rock, but inside [there’s] honey — sweet.”
Resonance to Perform as the Opening Act for Both Concerts | As the producing organization, Resonance Ensemble will open for the main act with a set of selections from their own award-winning a cappella commissions for social justice. Works include pieces by composers Jasmine Barnes, Cecille Elliott, and Damien Geter.
Don't miss this remarkable event as Resonance Ensemble and Sweet Honey In The Rock® join forces to create an unforgettable evening that resonates with the power of the human voice.
Tickets will be available for pre-sale starting November 29, and any remaining tickets will be open to the general public on December 6. Ensure you get the first opportunity by subscribing to the Resonance mailing list for exclusive pre-sale access.
For more information, contact resonance ensemble at info@resonancechoral.org.
Note to Journalists: Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon and members of Sweet Honey in the Rock® are available for print, online, and broadcast interviews. If you would like more information or would like to schedule an interview, please contact Liz Bacon Brownson at liz@resonancechoral.org or by calling (503) 427-8701.
About Sweet Honey In The Rock®
Sweet Honey in the Rock is an American three-time Grammy Award–nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance, and sign language. Originally a four-person ensemble, the group has expanded to five-part harmonies, with a sixth member acting as a sign-language interpreter. Although the members have changed over five decades, the group continues to sing and perform worldwide. Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1973 by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon as part of the D.C. Black Repertory Theater Company with Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson and Mie, Sweet Honey in the Rock has evolved into an international ambassador of a cappella music. The group was founded on the missions of empowerment, education, and entertainment, and has created a deep catalog of beloved socially conscious music rooted in African-American history and culture, always aspiring to make the world a better place for all.
A recent review on NPR proclaimed, “The history of the group… mirrors the effort of the civil rights movement from which it sprung: to raise voices, to empower individuals and to accomplish together what we cannot accomplish alone.”
Sweet Honey in the Rock has performed all over the world, from the South African Embassy – as a featured performer at the 2013 National Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela, to the White House – at the invitation of Michelle Obama to perform a special children’s concert during the first 100 days of her husband’s presidency. Click here for more information.
About Resonance Ensemble
In its fifteenth season, Resonance Ensemble, a professional vocal ensemble based in Portland, Oregon, creates thoughtful programs that promote meaningful social change. Resonance Ensemble works to amplify voices that have long been silenced, and they do so through moving, thematic concerts that highlight solo and choral voices, new and underrepresented composers, visual and other performing artists, and community partners.
Under Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, Resonance Ensemble has performed challenging and diverse music, always with an eye toward unusual collaborations with artistic partners from around the country: poets, jazz musicians, singer-songwriters, painters, dancers. The Resonance Ensemble singers are “one of the Northwest’s finest choirs” (Willamette Week), with gorgeous vocal tone, and they also make music with heart.
The groundbreaking work that Resonance Ensemble has been producing over the last few years has been noted by local media and national arts organizations. In Oregon Arts Watch, Matthew Andrews described Resonance as “Part social commentary, part group therapy, and part best damn choir show in town" (June 2019). Chorus America honored Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon in the summer of 2019 with the Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal for her work rededicating Resonance to promoting meaningful social change, and for the meaningful community partnerships she creates. For the tribute to Dr. FitzGibbon, please click here.
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Better Together: Highlighting Long-Term Partnerships
Radical collaboration is core to who we are at Resonance Ensemble. This year marks 15 seasons, made possible in part by the deep partnerships we’ve cultivated across the years with organizations, educators, artists, and community leaders both in Portland and beyond. As part of our special anniversary season, we are highlighting collaborations with 15 of the amazing Portland-based organizations we are proud to call our arts allies. We encourage you to take the time to learn more about each of our partner organizations. As a community, we are better together.
Part Four - Long-Term Partnerships That Supports Radical Impacts
From before the downbeat of the first Resonance concert to this very day, many people have given their time and energy to support Resonance Ensemble’s mission.
This week we toast to two long-time collaborators who have worked with us since the beginning. Having trusted vendors who are able to bring our vision and message to life is a priceless treasure.
The talented work these two creative organizations bring to us—led by Rachel Hadiashar and Liz Bacon—is a gift that keeps on giving, and it is an added treasure that we can call each of them our friend. Their dedication, talent, and unwavering support have played a vital role in our growth and success. We're excited to continue this journey together, creating more memorable moments and sharing our passion for music and inclusivity with the world.
Missed the earlier segments? Click below to read more:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Rachel Hadiashar, Photographer
Rachel Hadiashar
Rachel Hadiashar is a masterful visual storyteller. Her work captures the essence of Resonance Ensemble and beautifully brings our performances and mission to life in the digital realm. Rachel has been with us since close to the beginning, documenting our journey, our triumphs, and our musical evolution. Through her photography, she has preserved countless moments that have allowed us to relive the magic and share it with our supporters and the world.
Rachel doesn't just capture images; she captures emotions and the very soul of our ensemble. Her work helps us reach new audiences and share the beauty of our music, all while conveying the deeper messages that underlie our performances. Her ability to weave a visual narrative that connects with people's hearts is truly remarkable.
oh! Creative productions
Behind the scenes of the My Requiem Story series (SOUL Restoration Center, provided by Oh! Creative)
Liz Bacon Brownson is a masterful visual storyteller. From our biggest dreams (such as the huge community and educational impact of the African American Requiem) to the smallest design details, Liz and her team at Oh! Creative have helped Resonance Ensemble to beautifully communicate our mission and programming, connect with partners, and share our work with our community. We’re extremely grateful to Liz, who serves on our board, and who has donated a portion of her time to Resonance every year as part of her service to, and belief in, Resonance’s mission.
When you attend a Resonance Ensemble performance, you see Oh! Creative’s work in action. When you read our program or watch the projected images which accompany each piece, that’s the work of Liz Bacon and her team. Here are just a few of our favorite collaborations with Oh! Creative.
AN AFRICAN AMERICAN REQUIEM
We cannot understate how much Oh! Creative has been a part of the process of ensuring the lasting impact of this groundbreaking work.
Helping us connect with leaders in our community, assisting with the development of the written curriculum and accompanying video components for students across the region, creating an original series to capture both written and video interviews with participants, to a fully-realized documentary, Oh! Creative helped memorialize this landmark work and deepen the experience of its performances for generations to come.
UNDER THE OVERPASS
Watch the whole series here
In 2020, Resonance knew that the way we showcased our work had to pivot. Working with Oh! Creative, we created one of our most memorable video series that garnered tens of thousands of views at the height of the pandemic.
Beginning in the early summer of that year, Under the Overpass was born. Singers and spoken word artists met in acoustic spaces around the city - six feet apart, masked, and yet together. The series celebrated the city of Portland and the space it provides for Resonance artists to continue to create. In addition to scouting locations, designing each shoot to capture the message of each piece featured, and organizing rehearsals leading into performance day, Oh! Creative professionally captured the beauty of each outdoor space–allowing us to share not only the talents of Resonance Ensemble performers, but the beauty in our community as well.
LISTEN
Learn more about our debut album here
In addition to their beautiful video work, Oh! Creative has designed and manages our website, and produces our printed and digital materials as well. If you’ve read a Resonance Ensemble program, received a flyer, explored our website, or followed us on social media, you’ve seen their stunning work. We were particularly proud to collaborate with Oh! on the design of our debut album, LISTEN—which was released just this past fall. The CD art, album jacket, and all of the internal material was carefully produced by Oh! for release this past year, and it’s an album we are proud to share with our national community of listeners.
See our collaborations in action | Learn more about Oh! Creative’s work in the community
Photographer Rachel Hadiashar and Resonance artistic advisor Shohei Kobayashi. Photo by Joe Cantrell.
Liz Bacon Brownson (right) at a volunteer expo with Dee McDuffey of Kingdom Sound (left) and Kiah Bacon (center).
Rachel Hadiashar Photography and Oh! Creative Productions are more than collaborators; they are friends who have become an integral part of our Resonance family. Thank you, Rachel and Liz, for being such essential and cherished members of our team. Here's to the future and looking ahead to what else we will create together!
UP NEXT: In the last installment of this gratitude series, we celebrate the incredible organizations in our radical season partnership campaign.
Better Together: Highlighting Community-First Organizations
Radical collaboration is core to who we are at Resonance Ensemble. This year marks 15 seasons, made possible in part by the deep partnerships we’ve cultivated across the years with organizations, educators, artists, and community leaders both in Portland and beyond. As part of our special anniversary season, we are highlighting collaborations with 15 of the amazing Portland-based organizations we are proud to call our arts allies. We encourage you to take the time to learn more about each of our partner organizations. As a community, we are better together.
PRIDE NORTHWEST
Pride NW’s Debra Porta with Resonance Ensemble’s Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon
Resonance and Pride Northwest first collaborated in 2018 on a concert called “Bodies,” which was part of the Pride Northwest Festival. It turned out to be the beginning of a beautiful multi-year partnership that has been one of Resonance’s cherished relationships.
Pride Northwest’s mission is to encourage and celebrate the positive diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans communities, and to assist in the education of all people through the development of activities that showcase the history, accomplishments, and talents of these communities.
When we first reached out to Debra Porta, she was immediately supportive of the idea of our partnering around a concert celebrating the artistic works and accomplishments of the LGBTQIA+ communities. “I heard about the equity and inclusion work that Resonance was doing, and my ears perked,” Porta said in 2018. “It was easy to see the value in partnering with Resonance. Our missions beautifully interweave, and I look forward to where we grow from here.”
Donna Dermond with a poster from our collaboration with Pride NW, “Bodies'“
Indeed, we have grown together from there, with many additional collaborations and mutual support, including the Commissions for Now world premiere in 2021 in which we unveiled the premiere video of Mari Esabel Valverde’s “We Hold Your Names Sacred.” Valverde’s work set the words of Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi to memorialize trans women of color. The work premiered virtually, followed by a live conversation among Valverde, Edidi, Portland-based photographer Raven Ellaine, and Resonance’s Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, all as part of the Pride Festival.
“We love the work and vision of Debra Porta and Pride Northwest,” says FitzGibbon. “Resonance’s long-term relationship with Pride Northwest has generated multiple exciting creative collaborations, and we admire so deeply the myriad initiatives they lead in the LGBTQIA+ communities in our region.”
We are better together with Pride Northwest, and we look forward to our next collaboration with Debra and the rest of the Pride Northwest team.
Check out this review from a past collaboration | Learn more about Pride NW
Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2
Image features Byrd, co-founder of EDPA2, speaks to her experience as part of the Under the Overpass series music video.
The Resonance team first got to know the leadership of EDPA2 in 2021, when we worked together on a video release focusing on the destruction of the historic Albina neighborhood, a hub of Black businesses and creative spaces. The video, part of our Under the Overpass series around Portland during the initial stages of the pandemic, shared a round table conversation with EDPA2, poetry by Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani, and the premiere of a work by composer Darrell Grant by Damien Geter with Grant at the keyboard. The video included transparent photos of the neighborhood when it was a vibrant center for the Black community, juxtaposed against the vacant lots now.
“Resonance continues to support the work of EDPA2. They are advocating for the city to live up to their agreements to compensate for the destruction of housing and generational wealth.”
The Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2, EDPA2, is an ad hoc, community-based social justice organization consisting of survivors and descendants whose family homes and businesses were demolished. They are fighting to make the City of Portland, Prosper Portland, Home Forward and Emanuel Hospital live up to their responsibilities and fulfill the Relocation Housing Policy and Cooperative Agreement which they adopted in response to findings of a federal complaint handed down by HUD in 1971.
"This battle has been going on since it started, since the '60s and '70s. I'm just the latest iteration," the co-founder of the organization, Byrd, said recently. "My grandmother's house and my granddaddy's tavern were just down there, across the street. It was demolished and they were not compensated."
EDPA2 has met with Mayor Wheeler for more than 3 years and recently presented a plan to the Mayor for current appropriate restitution under the Agreement, including long-term economic development of the vacant lot at the corner of N. Williams and Russell. As of now, the city has indicated a total lack of willingness to consider the proposals of the survivors and descendants or to work with EDPA2 in any constructive way. EDPA2 is asking for community support.
Historic Alberta House (cerimon house)
Resonance Ensemble commissioned three artist pairs to write work in response to the Pander paintings on display at Alberta House. Pictured here are a few of those artists (L to R): Judy A. Rose, Shohei Kobayashi, Dr. S. Renee Mitchell, Kimberly R. Osberg, and Alberta House Director Vin Shambry.
Resonance Ensemble has enjoyed a deep and meaningful relationship with Alberta House for many years. First known to us as Cerimon House, this beautiful event space is nestled in the heart of the Alberta Arts District and has been home to classes and celebrations, local artists and arts organizations, deep conversations, and community gatherings. Much of Resonance Ensemble’s programming over the last decade has taken place within its walls—from live performances and premieres, artist gatherings and fundraisers, to video productions and photoshoots.
Vin Shambry performs his powerful work Brother Man at the 2017 Resonance Ensemble concert …Only in Falling.
In 2022, Alberta House named Vin Shambry as its Artistic Director. As Vin transitioned into his new role with Alberta House, he has continued to be a featured performer, composer, and poet on Resonance Ensemble programming—alongside his continued work as artist, filmmaker, and administrator. In 2023 of this year, we commissioned three artist pairings to write new works in response to the Henk Pander paintings on display at Alberta House—including original poetry by Shambry (set by composer Judy A. Rose).
The beautiful Historic Alberta House building
Resonance Ensemble was named an Arts-Organization-in-Residence by board chair Will Patton, whose tireless support and palpable enthusiasm for Resonance Ensemble have been an inspirational light throughout our seasons. Resonance concertgoers have been greeted for many years by longtime staff member Jo Pierce, whose deep love of, advocacy for, and dedication to Resonance Ensemble’s programming and mission have made her as much a part of the Resonance Ensemble family as Alberta House’s. We are proud to be able to provide mutual support through our season partnership program, even as our own organization continues to venture out into other spaces in Portland and beyond.
The support we have received from Alberta House staff, board, and leadership has been invaluable in helping Resonance Ensemble grow into the organization we are today—providing a safe and stable place for our growth and community connection, along with the growth of many other local arts organizations.
See our partnership in action | Learn more about Alberta House
UP NEXT: We next highlight our radical collaborations with photographer Rachel Hadiashar and with Oh! Creative productions.
Better Together: Highlighting Placemakers for the Arts
Radical collaboration is core to who we are at Resonance Ensemble. This year marks 15 seasons, made possible in part by the deep partnerships we’ve cultivated across the years with organizations, educators, artists, and community leaders both in Portland and beyond. As part of our special anniversary season, we are highlighting collaborations with 15 of the amazing Portland-based organizations we are proud to call our arts allies. We encourage you to take the time to learn more about each of our partner organizations. As a community, we are better together.
Part Two - These are the placemakers.
In a world where things often get lost in the cacophony, there are those who can stand up and become advocates, amplifying our voices and ensuring we are heard. This week, we shine a spotlight on three incredible partners who are, in their own unique ways, what we are calling placemakers for the arts. Through their missions, position, funding, and platforms, they have provided invaluable opportunities for many of our projects — as well as so many other Portland arts organizations — to be seen and heard. Throughout these 15 years, they have made a difference to Resonance Ensemble and to the Portland community.
Missed part one of our series? Click here.
ALL CLASSICAL Radio
Resonance Ensemble Artistic Director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon (left) with attendee Katherine Lefever, and All Classical Radio CEO Suzanne Nance right) at the 2018 Resonance Ensemble Giltner House fundraiser (photo by Rachel Hadiashar)
At All Classical Radio, CEO Suzanne Nance and her team have created a platform that celebrates the rich tapestry of Portland classical music talent. Their passionate commitment to the arts and rich and diverse programming have made them champions of classical music. Through their visionary leadership and dedication, they provide Portland-based classical artists – including Resonance Ensemble – a stage (and microphone!) to share their work.
But the impact goes beyond the music; their generous spirit as an organization simply brings arts organizations, arts makers, and audiences closer together.
“Amplifying art that reflects our society, and uplifting the powerful work of composers like Damien Geter, is at the heart of our mission at All Classical Radio.”
This was especially significant for us in 2020, when All Classical Radio made it possible to produce an unprecedented live, bi-coastal broadcast in collaboration with New York’s WQXR of the world premiere performance of Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem with the goal of providing greater access to and amplification of this important work. Following the performance and live simulcast which finally happened on March 22, 2022, All Classical syndicated and distributed a free program featuring the premiere, as presented by Resonance Ensemble and Oregon Symphony, to radio stations nationwide.
All Classical Radio is an integral part of the Portland cultural landscape, offering artists the opportunity to be heard.
We are forever grateful to have All Classical Radio on our side. All of us are better, because of the light they shine.
Read More About Our Partnership In Action | Learn More About All Classical Radio
Oregon Symphony
Poet in Residence S. Renee Mitchell, Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, and Composer Damien Geter with Oregon Symphony’s Scott Showalter at the premiere for An African American Requiem (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, May 2022 - Rachel Hadiashar).
As the state of Oregon’s largest music nonprofit, the Oregon Symphony is a flagship arts institution in downtown Portland. Resonance Ensemble has watched with appreciation as the Oregon Symphony has increased their commitment to new music, including music by composers of color. The Oregon Symphony also brings music to houseless communities, individuals who are currently incarcerated, and schools around the metropolitan area.
We were thrilled in 2020 when the Oregon Symphony agreed to partner with Resonance to produce the world premiere of our commission of Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem. In collaboration with Oregon Symphony General Manager Steve Wenig, we created a partnership agreement which allowed us to share production costs and resources, share marketing and promotion of the event (collaborating with Marketing and Strategic Engagement VP Russell Kelban), and develop educational outreach strategy in collaboration with Monica Hayes and the rest of the symphony team.
The impacts of this collaboration have been felt nationwide. The Portland premiere was particularly meaningful as each of our organizations contributed what we’re best known for: the brilliant playing of the Oregon Symphony musicians and the exceptional singing of the Resonance Ensemble artists.
It was a joy to join forces and to bring An African American Requiem to life in partnership with Oregon Symphony, and we are forever grateful.
Learn More About An African American Requiem | Learn More About Oregon Symphony
Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
As a recipient of the Cultural Leadership grant from RACC, we were able to take advantage of individual work sessions with internationally acclaimed arts consultant George Thorn, shown here with Katherine FitzGibbon in August of 2018.
The Regional Arts & Culture Council is an organization that has provided Resonance and so many other Portland arts groups invaluable resources, workshops, and opportunities for funding. RACC has fostered a nurturing environment for the arts by supporting the creative economy in greater Portland and providing equitable funding to artists in our region.
“We activate and engage, connecting artists and creatives to opportunity and access.”
Resonance Ensemble received its very first grants from RACC, before we had received our 501(c)3 nonprofit status, which allowed us to develop and realize our mission. Resonance’s leadership team also benefited from participation in the Art of Leadership program and the Cultural Leadership grant, both of which allowed us to build out our strategic planning and growth with input from arts consultants George Thorn and Toni Tabora-Roberts. Now, we are grateful for much-needed ongoing operating support from RACC.
Connecting all of us in the greater Portland area to opportunities and access is what makes RACC a creative placemaker. The RACC team are all Portland arts organizations’ heroes. They continue to be a tremendous advocate and supporter to us, and we wouldn’t be who we are without them.
PHOTO OF GRADUATING CLASS OF 2018 ART OF LEADERSHIP Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon and Director of Marketing and Operations, Liz Bacon participated in a 6-month workshop fostering relationships with business professionals and local nonprofit arts organizations. The series covers topics from finances to fundraising, strategic development to legal issues, helping participants develop leadership skills, network with business and arts leaders, and get matched with arts organizations closely aligned with their own interests and experience. (Can you see Kathy and Liz, in the center of things as usual?)
Better Together: Highlighting Education Partnerships
Radical collaboration is core to who we are at Resonance Ensemble. This year marks 15 seasons, made possible in part by the deep partnerships we’ve cultivated across the years with organizations, educators, artists, and community leaders both in Portland and beyond. As part of our special anniversary season, we are highlighting collaborations with 15 of the amazing Portland-based organizations we are proud to call our arts allies. We encourage you to take the time to learn more about each of our partner organizations. As a community, we are better together.
Part One - Educational Partnerships for a Better World
This week, we highlight three of the educational partners we’ve collaborated with to bring our programming to listeners everywhere.
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark has been a deeply meaningful collaborator across the years. When music professor Katherine FitzGibbon proposed the idea of Resonance Ensemble back in 2009, the college immediately supported the idea in tangible ways. Home to some of our very first performances – and most of our rehearsals since! – Lewis & Clark has been providing logistical, financial, and venue support since Resonance’s inception.
“Without Lewis & Clark, so much of the growth Resonance Ensemble has sustained would simply not have been possible.”
Some of Resonance Ensemble’s most ambitious projects, including the recent music and arts festival, Earth’s Protection, have taken place at Lewis & Clark. With the support of amazing on-site staff like Susan Nunes, and on the beautiful grounds of the LC campus, Resonance Ensemble hosted a multidisciplinary arts and music festival this past June. The festival featured collaborations with Harold Paul’s indigenous dance group Four Directions, an art gallery by beloved photographer Joe Cantrell, live poetry reading by Ed Edmo, a tabla collaboration with musician Shrikant Naware, and the Oregon premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s grand work Mass for the Endangered in collaboration with Fear No Music ensemble.
Lewis & Clark’s support extends outside the concert hall as well, as many Lewis & Clark students volunteer for Resonance Ensemble, have worked as paid interns for Resonance, and attend Resonance events. We are so grateful for their support over these 15 years.
“Lewis & Clark has been a wonderful advocate for and supporter of my work with Resonance Ensemble,” reflects Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon. “Without them, so much of the growth Resonance Ensemble has sustained would simply not have been possible, and we can’t wait to see what the next 15 years bring for our partnership.”
Resonance Ensemble will be releasing the full concert video from Earth’s Protection later this month—so be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch this amazing collaboration for yourself!
SEE our partnership in action | SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel
Dr. S. Renee Mitchell | SOUL RESTORATION CENTER
Image features Dr. Mitchell being filmed for her “My Requiem Story” episode, as part of the An African American Requiem curriculum materials. Seen here at Soul Restoration Center, with filmmaker Kenny Hamlett. (Photo courtesy of Oh! Creative)
One of Resonance’s most inspiring educational partnerships is with our Poet in Residence, Dr. S. Renee Mitchell. Dr. Mitchell is a published author, curriculum designer, community activist and multi-media artist. She also is a sur-thriver who has found her life purpose since disentangling from bullying, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Through her work with Soul Restoration Center and I am M.O.R.E, two organizations she founded, Dr. Mitchell continues to provide us with community connections, educational, and artist support. We are proud to call her our friend.
After 25 years as an award-winning newspaper journalist - where she was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize - Renee reinvented herself as a Creative Revolutionist. She earned the doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Oregon, and she founded I Am M.O.R.E., an organization that centers young people through culturally relevant, trauma-informed practices to help non-profits, schools, community organizations, and parents learn how to better serve their communities. She has traveled the country presenting workshops about her techniques and creating leadership opportunities for young people. In her work with Resonance, Dr. Mitchell has frequently connected high school students from I AM M.O.R.E with Resonance Ensemble, inviting the students to present their original works at Resonance Ensemble concerts.
We’re also grateful that she lent her expertise as a member of the African American Requiem Advisory Council, and as co-author of the educational curriculum around Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem that has now been used in high schools around the country.
In 2022, Dr. Mitchell was one of the founders of the Soul Restoration Center, a healing-centered, arts-focused Black respite that collaborates with heart-centered individuals, donors, organizations and other partners who value Black lives. In 2022, the Soul Restoration Center served as a healing community space before and after the African American Requiem. She connected Black Student Unions from around the Portland metropolitan area and many additional Black community members with tickets that had been donated to the African American Requiem world premiere. Then, in partnership with Resonance Ensemble, she designed and hosted activities at the Soul Restoration Center: pre-concert educational activities for the Black Student Unions, and post-concert healing and reflection opportunities.
We are so grateful to collaborate with Dr. Mitchell, a visionary leader and mentor who changes lives. She has certainly changed ours.
SEE our partnership in action | WATCH this video
Portland Public Schools
Resonance Ensemble provided Portland Public Schools with conductor Lynn Mendoza-Khan and several mentor singers to support the Latinx Affinity Choir PPS is currently developing. Also pictured (L) Y La Bamba’s Luz Mendoza and (R) PPS VAPA Director Kristen Brayson. Photo courtesy of Oh! Creative
In the realm of education, the power of the arts to inspire and unite communities is undeniable. Resonance has harnessed this power through its multi-year partnership with the Portland Public Schools Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) team. Through our work with VAPA, led by Director Kristen Brayson, Resonance’s commitment to working toward a more just and equitable future can begin with our ongoing outreach to young people through arts education.
An African American Requiem — a multi-dimensional educational outreach experience (2020-2022) As a member of the African American Requiem Advisory Council, PPS helped us ensure that the performance and experiences surrounding it were connected directly to PPS classrooms. Together, we created a multi-dimensional experience for PPS Black students and families that included curricular integration, in-school presentations, workshops, the live performance, and post-show interactive engagement.
The Latinx Community Choir Project (2022-24) We are proud to support PPS’s groundbreaking initiative to build affinity choir spaces for Latinx-identifying student singers. The PPS Latinx Community Choir is a choir specifically assembled by PPS VAPA staff so that Latinx student singers can gather in an atmosphere of inherent shared understanding and fellowship, with a goal to one day be a true affinity space for Latinx singers. The group, conducted by Resonance singer Lynn Mendoza-Khan, included invited Latinx-identifying PPS student singers and mentor support singers provided by Resonance Ensemble. The project’s inaugural season culminated in a joint performance at the PPS HeART of Portland event at the Portland Art Museum. Students and Resonance singers shared how meaningful it was to be a part of the project, and we look forward to helping PPS grow this important initiative.
Resonance and the VAPA team continue to meet to build support for the Latinx Community Choir during this school year, and we are now planning additional partnership opportunities for Resonance and PPS beginning in 2024.
“We’ve come together as a community on this project, and it has been a beautiful celebration of the students and of a connection across generations.”
We are grateful for our partnership with PPS on these projects that make a difference. Through our work together, we witness the power of music and education transcending the boundaries of the classroom and empowering students to carry the spirit of harmony and inclusivity with them throughout their lives. In doing so, we are indeed, better together.
See our partnership in action | LEARN MORE about An African American Requiem
UP NEXT: We next highlight our radical collaborations with All Classical Radio, Oregon Symphony, and the Regional Arts & Culture Council.
